


Role Reversal

by AnnaOnTheMoon



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 09:19:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12478320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaOnTheMoon/pseuds/AnnaOnTheMoon
Summary: Doctor Jean-Luc Picard and his son, Wesley, come aboard the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain Beverly C Howard. P/C***Update Nov 12 2018*** This fic is NOT abandoned! Due to a rewrite, the original ending has been removed.  I will get back to this.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had this weird thought in my head....what if their roles were reversed? Would anything be different? I wrote this a few weeks ago and posted it to ff, but I wasn't happy with it, so I'm now re-writing, editing, and adding additional chapters.

Doctor Jean-Luc Picard glanced at the computer screen and glared. _Why was she blocking me?  Is this personal, or professional?_ Jean-Luc fired off another set of messages to command as well as to Starfleet Medical and glanced around his office.  He had already packed most of his office, and half of his apartment was in storage. In fact, the only furniture he and his son still had were their beds, dressers,  a dining table  & chairs, and a sofa.  He wanted this job aboard the _Enterprise._ No, he needed it.  Not only was he the most qualified candidate for the position, but he missed Beverly terribly.  He hadn’t seen her in ten years, and in those ten years the love he had for her had continued to grow until the fire was consuming him and he just needed to be near her even if she didn’t return his feelings.  Not to mention how good it would be for Wesley to be around one of his mother’s best friends and get to experience life on board a starship.

Ah, Wesley.  The boy was really the only reason Jean-Luc got out of bed most mornings.  He was the spitting image of his mother, Jacqueline, except for the eyes.  Wesley had managed to inherit the steely grey-hazel eyes of the Picard family. 

Wesley was almost fifteen, and had been five when his mother had passed away.  Wesley barely remembered his mother except in photos  since she hadn’t been around much before she died. Occasionally, he wished his mother was around, but for the most part, he was a happy and well-adjusted teenager.  He had  few friends, but no girlfriends and no one he would have called a best friend.  Maybe that would change for the boy once they were on the _Enterprise._  Wesley wanted to go off to the Academy one day just like his parents had and become a starship captain in his own right.  No matter how much Jean-Luc tried to steer him towards medicine, Wesley had the brains for engineering and enjoyed tinkering with mechanics much more than he did biology. 

Jean-Luc wasn’t too bad at engineering either, but it had been watching his mother die from an incurable disease that had focussed his mind on medicine. When his mother had become ill, Jean-Luc had left his position in Starfleet to return home to care for her so his brother and father could devote their time to keeping the family vineyard running.  He worked hard, and finally had entered Starfleet Medical Academy when he was in his 30s, much older than most of his classmates. It was at one of his command refresher lectures where he met his best friend Walker.  Walker introduced Jean-Luc to his younger sister, Melissa, and her friends – Beverly and Jackie. 

Jean-Luc had been immediately drawn to Beverly.  Her fiery hair matched her temper.  She was at the academy taking a few extra classes now that she had been promoted to becoming the youngest female captain Starfleet ever had.  Jean-Luc and Beverly had a passionate relationship that had lasted for two years before Beverly was given command of the _Stargazer_.  She broke Jean-Luc’s heart when she told him she didn’t want to be in a relationship where she would not see her partner daily, and since Jean-Luc still had several years left in his medical studies, there was no way for him to join her on her ship as her medical officer.  He had offered to marry her and finish his studies  on board, but she said no.  She kissed him and made love to him one more time before leaving Walker and Jackie to pick up the pieces. 

Walker thought that whisky and girls were the solution, while Jackie comforted Jean-Luc with sex.  The sex was good, but they both had known it was nothing more than rebound sex for Jean-Luc.  Jackie secretly harboured feelings for her best friend’s ex-lover, but felt that she couldn’t act on them and tell Jean-Luc how she felt because she knew he still had feelings for Beverly...until one day when she was going through a routine physical in preparation for a new assignment she found out she had become pregnant and when she told Jean-Luc, he had asked her if he could think for a few days, but in the end he had been so overjoyed he asked her to marry him.

Jackie wasted no time at all in planning a wedding.  An invitation was sent to Beverly, but it was declined, citing a deep-space mission as the reason.  Eight months later, Wesley Robert Picard was born.  Beverly had sent along a beautiful layette set for the baby, and paperwork indicating a trust fund had been set up for the boy.  He would receive the money  on his 21st birthday.  A thank you card was sent, and that was the only correspondence Jean-Luc had had with Beverly until ten five years later.

When Wesley was three, Jackie received an offer to join Beverly on board the _Stargazer_.  It was an incredible opportunity, and she and Jean-Luc decided Wesley would stay with him while she served aboard the _Stargazer_ as Jean-Luc was on his last year of residency.  Besides which, their marriage was failing.  Shortly after the birth of their son, Jackie came to the realisation that the only reason Jean-Luc had married her was because of the child.  He didn’t love her, and in fact she was pretty sure he still was in love with her best friend and now commanding officer.

 The assignment was a five-year tour of duty, and Jackie hoped that the distance apart would spark something in Jean-Luc and perhaps when she returned after her five-year-tour their marriage would be renewed.  Otherwise, she was going to file for a divorce and already had the paperwork ready to go.  She was fully prepared to give away her parental rights to Wesley, as she knew Jean-Luc positively doted on the boy and would have been heartbroken to be separated from him.  Besides which, she had never really taken to motherhood  and preferred mapping the stars and greeting unknown aliens to raising a child on Earth.

Jackie had been in the second year of her assignment when the accident happened.  Beverly, of course, blamed herself, but something had gone wrong in one of the labs on board the _Stargazer_ and there had been a massive explosion.  By the time anyone had arrived to assess the damage and provide medical care, Jackie had already suffered asphyxiation. She had been working in the sealed lab when the explosion had happened and her death would have been near instantaneous.  Beverly was the one who had contacted him over subspace to give him the news, and she told him she would bring home her body for burial.

The night of Jackie’s funeral, Jean-Luc slept with Beverly.   He had always been in love with her, and not Jackie and he just needed to feel something other than the numbness that filled him when he thought about raising his son on his own.  He secretly hoped he and Beverly might renew their relationship in time,  but in the wee hours of the morning, she tiptoed out of his apartment, and out of his life. 

A beep from his console brought him out of his mental wanderings.   Finally.  He was going to become the Chief Medical Officer of the _USS Enterprise_ under the command of Captain Beverly C Howard.  A place had been reserved for Wesley in the ship’s equivalent of a high school, with instructions stating he would be given an aptitude test on arrival to determine his placement.  Jean-Luc grinned.  It was the start of his and Wesley’s new life.

###

Captain Beverly Howard stared at the screen. _Again?  How many times do I have to tell them I don’t want this man on my ship?_ The first time she received notification that her new CMO would be Doctor Jean-Luc Picard, Beverly assumed it had been done automatically, because she knew Jean-Luc was the best doctor out of all of Starfleet.  But Beverly didn’t think he would actually want to serve on the same ship, let alone under the captain that had been in command the day his wife died.  Sure, Beverly knew Jackie had been planning on sending divorce papers to Jean-Luc and allowing him to retain sole custody of their son, but Jean-Luc was unaware. And then she went and slept with him the night of Jackie’s funeral....what had she been thinking? The answer was, she hadn’t.

Beverly was in love with Jean-Luc.  She couldn’t deny it.  Their affair lasted for two years before she had been called to serve as Captain on the _Stargazer._   When she told Jean-Luc she wanted to end their relationship it had been the worst day of her life.  For some reason, she thought she was doing the right thing...allowing Jean-Luc to have a relationships with other women who weren’t thousands of lightyears away...but she had missed him terribly.  And just when she had been getting ready to contact him to tell him that she thought they had made a mistake breaking things off...she received a wedding invitation. 

Walker told her about the wedding.  He explained that Jean-Luc had agonized over what to do when Jackie told him she was pregnant.  But Jean-Luc... oh, he was noble.  He asked Jackie to marry him.  Walker told her he knew Jean-Luc hadn’t been in love with Jackie and Jackie was only a distraction from Beverly, but from that moment, Beverly knew that she needed to keep her love for Jean-Luc hidden away.  It would do no good to pine after he best friend’s husband.  Especially with a child involved.  A child, that Beverly couldn’t help but wonder if it would have been hers if she had stayed together with Jean-Luc.

And Wesley?  He was perfect.  In every picture Beverly saw, she saw Jean-Luc.  While most people would point out the shape if his nose was the same as Jackies or how his hair was the same shade of brown as Jackie’s, Beverly only saw the boy’s eyes.  They were an exact match for Jean-Luc.  Every time she looked at pictures,  she wished he was hers. She promptly set up a trust fund for the boy and dumped in a large chunk of her savings.  The boy would receive it when he reached his 21st  birthday.  Beverly felt it was the least she could do.

When the project came across her desk, Beverly had immediately known that Jackie would be the best scientist for the job....but would Jackie willingly leave Jean-Luc and her son? But it was too good of an opportunity and so Beverly had to send the offer to Jackie for first refusal.  It came as a surprise when Beverly received the reply from Jackie that she would accept the position.  Wesley was going to stay with Jean-Luc, and Jackie felt that this was the best decision she could make.   Privately, she told Beverly about Jean-Luc and how he doted on the boy and paid far more attention to the child than he did to her.  Jackie hadn’t bonded with her son and felt that the boy was much  better off with his father.  She thought that the separation would be just what the couple needed to become close to each other once again.  Jackie had never mentioned to Beverly about the divorce papers sitting on the data chip in her quarters, or that she had already spoken to a judge about granting custody to Jean-Luc.  When Beverly found the chip, her heart broke for Jean-Luc and for Wesley.  Forced to mourn the loss of a wife and mother that hadn’t even wanted them. 

Beverly vowed that she wouldn’t show the data chip to Jean-Luc and carefully pocketed it when she packed up the rest of Jackie’s belongings.  That day of the funeral....Jean-Luc was so vulnerable and Wesley was so distraught.  She held Wesley’s hand while Jean-Luc thanked everyone for coming. When it was time to leave the graveyard, Wesley had clung to her hand and begged her not to leave. Jean-Luc invited her back to their apartment for a drink and Wesley managed to convince her to read him a bedtime story.  Beverly smiled at the memory.  He really was an amazing child, even at age five.

After Wesley was fast asleep, she joined Jean-Luc in the living room in front of the electric fireplace Jackie had insisted on having installed.  She said it reminded her of Jean-Luc’s home in La Barre. Beverly had scoffed when Jackie told her about the fireplace.  She knew the fireplace in La Barre would have been a real woodburning fireplace, not some electronic facsimile.  But the night of the funeral Jean-Luc seemed to somehow be comforted by the electric flames.  She had shared a bottle of wine from his family’s vineyard with him that night as they both reminisced about Jackie.....and then somewhere in the middle of Jean-Luc breaking down and telling Beverly how he didn’t know how he was going to raise Wesley on his own they made love. 

Beverly fell asleep nestled in the crook of Jean-Luc’s arm on the sofa.  When she woke up, she first felt overjoyed at being with Jean-Luc again, but the joy quickly turned to shame as she realised what she had done.  She couldn’t betray her friendship with Jackie like that.  Jean-Luc deserved better.  So Beverly quietly got dressed and snuck out of the apartment.  She hadn’t spoken with Jean-Luc since that day.

A few weeks later, Beverly learned that she hadn’t left Jean-Luc’s apartment alone.  As it turned out, she was pregnant.  Beverly debated contacting Jean-Luc to tell him, but every time she thought better of it....how did you tell the Widower of your best friend who you slept with on the night of her funeral that you were now pregnant with his child?  She couldn’t.  So she took a leave of absence from her captaincy of the _Stargazer_ and returned to her Nana’s home on Caldos.  Yvette Picard Howard was born eight months later, and she was perfect.  Her hair was a deeper shade of red, nearly auburn and her eyes....she had the same steely hazel eyes of her half-brother and father.  Beverly had named her Yvette for Jean-Luc’s mother, and gave her Picard for a middle name so she would share her father’s name in some way.

 Beverly left Yvette in the care of her grandmother on Caldos while she continued to serve on the _Stargazer._ When the Stargazer was destroyed, Beverly was sent back to Starfleet Command in San Francisco.  She sent for Evie to join her and she was surprised that she hadn’t run into Jean-Luc or Wesley during the five years she was at Starfleet.  When the _Enterprise_ was offered to her, it was offered to her based on her decision to not take a position unless she could have her daughter with her. 

Yvette had just turned nine when Beverly became Captain of the _Enterprise._ No one, not even Evie, knew what the P in Yvette P Howard stood for.  Beverly liked to tease her daughter and changed what the P stood for on a regular basis.  Penelope, Pippa, Pineapple, Pony, Persistent....the list went on.  But Beverly never told her her middle name was Picard, for fear that she would try to seek out her father.  Evie had asked one time why she didn’t have a father, and Beverly had explained to her that some children only had one parent, and it made them extra special.  Of course, Evie had only been four at the time, but it had worked and she hadn’t pestered her mother about who her father was again.

Beverly sent off another letter respectfully declining the offer of Starfleet Medical and told them she would find her own CMO.  She sent them five names of other doctors within Starfleet who she would be willing to work with.  The response back came almost instantly and this time, she had no option to reject it.  Doctor Jean-Luc Picard would be joining her staff as her Chief Medical Officer

_Shit._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How will Beverly react when she sees Jean-Luc appear on her bridge?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited/re-written from the original posted to ffnet

“Hey Dad?”  Jean-Luc looked up from the box he was currently sorting through in their new quarters. 

“What is it, Wes?  I’m trying to get everything unpacked before I have to report for duty...”

“I know, but Dad, this ship is so cool!  One of the other guys said you can do whatever you want in a holodeck and did you know that the second officer is an android?  How cool is that?!”  Jean-Luc tried to hide his smile at his son’s obvious excitement.

“Yes, this ship is wonderful.  I’m sure you will enjoy being stationed on it with me.  Now,  how about we finish unpacking your room?”

Wesley rolled his eyes at his father.  “Done.  Dad....do you think you could take me to the bridge?  Just so I could get a look at it?”

Jean-Luc sighed, but hated to disappoint his son.  “Wes, I’m sorry. Captain Howard’s rules are that children are not allowed on the bridge.”  Wesley’s face fell. 

“But...you know Captain Howard, right?  Isn’t she your friend?”

“Yes.....” Jean-Luc slowly said, not sure of where Wesley was headed with this. 

“So then...maybe she’d make the exception?  For a friend?”

“Wesley, I highly doubt that Captain Howard would make an exception even for the son of a friend,” seeing the disappointed look on Wesley’s face, Jean-Luc had an idea. “Why don’t you escort me to the bridge?  Perhaps you can get a good look from within the turbolift. Would that satisfy your curiosity?”

“Oh, can I Dad?”

“Yes. Now let me just find my lab coat and we can go.  I need to officially report to Captain Howard anyway...”

As Jean-Luc and his son whooshed around in the turbolift, Wesley kept up a running commentary to Jean-Luc about the ship.  Jean-Luc was impressed with the research Wesley had done, and hoped this would translate to the boy doing well at school.  There were only a handful of teenagers on board, and Wesley was the only son of a bridge officer as far as Jean-Luc knew, but he was sure once Wesley got into the swing of things he would have friends in no time. The lift halted and the doors opened.  The stern voice of a beautiful songbird rang in Jean-Luc’s head.

“Children are NOT permitted on my bridge.”

Jean-Luc stepped out from behind Wesley. “I think you’ll find, Captain, that my son is merely standing in the turbolift.  He escorted me to the bridge...permission to report for duty, Sir?”

Beverly gaped at the man. Her mouth went dry and her palms became sweaty as she looked at the man she hadn’t seen in ten years.  That was his son?  My goodness, was that strapping young man really Wesley Picard? 

“Granted,”  Jean-Luc stepped off the turbolift.  Wesley looked around the room with wide eyes.  “So you’re....Wesley Picard.  I.....I knew your mother.  She was....she was a good officer...and my best friend.  Would you like to look around the bridge?” 

Wesley looked over at his father nervously. “Can I?  Ma’am....er...Sir?  Captain?  Why do we have to call you Sir when you are a woman? Shouldn’t we call you Ma’am?”

Beverly shook her head at the boy. “So inquisitive.  Like your father,”  Wesley’s eyes got bigger.  He hadn’t known his father knew the captain too!  “It’s the way we refer to anyone in authority in the military.  Even women get called Sir as a mark of respect.”

“Oh, ok.”  Wesley looked over at his father.  “Dad, can I?”  Jean-Luc nodded his head.  When Wesley stepped off the turbolift, the doors immediately shut and he whirled around guiltily. 

“It’s OK, Wesley.  The lift will come back when you are done.”  Beverly led Wesley around the room and was astounded at the boy’s knowledge.  She looked over at Jean-Luc and he just shrugged. 

“Don’t look at me, Captain.  He did his research all on his own.”

“I see.  Wesley, would you like to try out my chair?” 

“Uhhh.....Yes.....Sir....that would be.....awesome.......”  Wesley gingerly sat in the Captain’s chair, causing Jean-Luc to laugh.

“I see you’re in the middle chair before I even get to stand a watch!”  He teased his son.  Beverly raised her eyebrows.

“I’m sorry, Doctor. I hadn’t realised you had passed the command test.  Number One, please add the Doctor onto the rota for standing watch.” Will Riker nodded. 

“Yes, I was a full commander before I decided to study medicine and I took a refresher course after Wesley’s mother passed away.”

“I see.”  Beverly watched as Wesley continued to take everything in.  Wesley was deep in discussion with Data when the turbolfit doors swished open.  Jean-Luc looked up as a little girl no older than ten walked onto the bridge.  The girl had dark red hair and hazel eyes. _Oh no.  Someone is going to be in trouble_ he thought, glancing up at the Captain. The little girl looked over at Beverly and opened her mouth.

“Mom, you wouldn’t believe how long I had to wait for the stupid lift.”  Jean-Luc’s mouth gaped open. _Mom?  But Beverly is the only woman currently on the bridge...that means.....No!  It can’t be....._   Jean-Luc glanced over at Beverly.  Her lips were pulled tight, but her eyes spoke volumes as she glanced between her daughter, Jean-Luc, and Wesley. 

Jean-Luc let out a gasp.  “You have...a daughter?” 

Beverly nodded. 

“How old is she?”

“Nine, nearly Ten.”

“Is she...I mean....”  Jean-Luc was at a loss for words.  Was this little girl his daughter?

“I think we all should take this conversation to my Ready room, don’t you? ”

“Captain? Perhaps the children shouldn’t be involved.....yet.”  Jean-Luc suggested as he turned to follow the Captain. 

“You may be right.  Evie, please sit in my chair and don’t bother Commander Riker.  Data, please keep an eye on Mr Picard.”  Beverly swished into her Ready Room, Jean-Luc hot on her heels.

Jean-Luc collapsed into the chair in front of Beverly’s desk and barely noticed when he was handed a cup of Earl Grey tea.  He did manage a small smile when Beverly asked him if that was still his preferred drink of choice.  _She remembers._

Beverly studied the man in front of her.  The intervening ten years had been kind to the man.  His head was practically bald, but that was no surprise.  Beverly was guessing that underneath his uniform he would still have the same washboard abs and strong arms he.... _Better not go there._

“This isn’t the way I intended on telling you,” she began.  Hurt was evident in Jean-Luc’s eyes. 

“Oh, so you were planning on telling me?”

“Yes, of course.  Eventually...”  she trailed off. 

“Does Evie...You did say her name was Evie, right?” Beverly nodded. “Does Evie know who her father is?”

Beverly shook her head.  “No.  Yvette doesn’t even know her official second name.” Jean-Luc’s eyes widened.

“You...named her Yvette?”

“Yes. I...I knew if you had had a girl you would have wanted to name her after your mother.  Yvette’s official name is Yvette Picard Howard.”  Her eyes met Jean-Luc’s. She desperately tried to convey to him how she felt.

“Thank you.  It means...” Jean-Luc swallowed back the lump in his throat.  “It means a lot to me.”  He reached out a hand and clasped Beverly’s hand across the table. “Why didn’t you tell me?  I would have....I would have been overjoyed.” 

Beverly laughed. “And what? Married me?  Less than a year after your wife was buried you would take me for a bride?  You don’t think that people would have talked....they would have thought...”

“Thought what?  That I was in love with you?  I can’t think of anyone in our circle of friends who didn’t know....Jackie included.” Jean-Luc reached inside his shirt with his other hand and pulled out a long, thick, chain.  Dangling on the end of it was a ring.  “I still have it.  I wear it every day.  People think it belonged to Jackie but...”

Beverly removed her hand from Jean-Luc’s and reached out to touch the necklace.  She recognized that ring.  It was the ring that Jean-Luc had used when he had asked her to marry him 16 years ago.  Tears pooled in her eyes.  “I can’t believe you still have this....I knew you hadn’t given it to Jackie but I assumed you got rid of it when I....”

“Said no?  How could I?  Beverly, I was in love....no, I am in love with you.  I’m angry that you didn’t tell me about Yvette sooner but.....I’m sure I love her too.  Please, Bev, can’t we try to be a family now? Why do you think I asked to be placed on board the _Enterprise?_ ”

“I...don’t know. I assumed you were assigned automatically by Starfleet.  I didn’t know you had requested it....if I had known, I wouldn’t have tried to block it.”

“That was you?  I assumed it was some brass idiot.”

Beverly looked down at the table. “No. It was me.  I thought....well,  I wasn’t sure if you would want to serve under the woman who was in command when your wife died...or the woman who walked out on you the day of her funeral.  And...there was Evie to think about, too.”

“I see.  When were you planning on telling Evie...on telling me about her?” 

Beverly continued to look down at the table “I...hadn’t thought of it....Obviously, when she reached 18 she would have had every right to know who her father was by looking up her birth record..which, by the way, you are on...but I....didn’t know what to say to you....can you forgive me?” Jean-Luc reached out and lifted Beverly’s chin and leaned over the desk and gave her a kiss.

“Does that answer your question?” 

A smile played at her lips. “Kissing your Captain?  Tut, tut, what shall I do with you?”

“You might have to discipline me.” Beverly walked around her desk. She could see the desire pooling in Jean-Luc’s eyes.  She sat on the edge of her desk in front of Jean-Luc and pulled his chair in towards her with her legs.  When his knees were even with the edge of the desk, she slid off the desk and straddled his lap and kissed him back. 

###

Yvette Picard Howard swung her feet in front of her from the Captain’s chair.  “Ugh! What’s taking Mom so long! All I wanted to do was ask her if I could go play with Lauren!”  Wesley turned to look at her from his seat in the chair usually reserved for his father. 

“So go play with Lauren.” 

“Can’t.”

“Why not?”

“’cause I need permission from Mom.”

“Oh....Can’t you get permission from your dad?”

“Nope. Don’t have one.”

“Oh.  My mom died when I was five, what happened to your dad?”

“Dunno.  Mom never told me about him.” Evie studied the boy sitting next to her. “Hey, did you know we have the same eyes?”

“What do you mean?”

“Our eyes are the same colour.  Mr Data, look!”  Data turned around from where he was seated at Ops. 

“You are correct, Yvette.  You and Mr Picard have the exact same shade of grey in your eyes.”  Wesley sat up straighter when he heard her name.

“Yvette?  I thought your name was Evie?”

“Yvette is my full name.  But everyone calls me Evie. Why?”

“Nothing....it’s just that my grand-mère’s name is Yvette.”

“Oh.  Is she nice?”

“I don’t know. She died before I was born.”

“Sorry.”  Evie resumed swinging her legs.  “Mr Data?” Data looked up at her. “Is it odd for...sorry, what’s your name?” 

“Wesley.”

“Mr Data, is it odd that Wesley and I have the same colour eyes?”

“It is not unheard of, as there is a limited spectrum to eye colour, however it is unusual for two strangers to possess the exact same ratio of grey, blue, and green in their eyes.”

“Oh. Could Wesley and I be related?”

 “Quite possibly.  I observed that your mother and Wesley’s father have obviously known each other for a long time.”

“The Captain was my mother’s best friend.  She....she brought my mom’s body back and read me a story the night of her funeral.”

“When did your mom die?”

“Ten years ago.”

“Oh.  I’m sorry, Wesley.”

“It’s ok, Evie. I got used to it.”

“Mr Data?”

“Yes, Yvette?”

“Eye colour is genetic, right?”

“You are correct.”

“And those box diagram things determine eye colour?” 

Wesley snorted.  “Box diagrams?  Do you mean Punnet Squares?”

Evie scowled. “The thing with the big B and little b.”

“Yeah, that’s a Punnet Square. Dad tried to get me into biology and I kinda remember.  Every eye colour has two letters, brown is two big Bs, blue is two little Bs. Hazel is a big G, and green is a little g, I think.  The big letters are the dominant colour, so like for me to have hazel eyes, my dad had to have two big Gs for his, and my mom had two little bs cos she had blue eyes, and that meant my eyes would...match...my father’s..I...Oh.”

“What?”

“Your mom has blue eyes, right?” Evie nodded.  “So for you to have hazel eyes, your dad had to...and to have the exact same shade of grey as me...Mr Data,  is there a test we can take? I think Evie might be my sister...”

###

Their clothing lay discarded  around the ready room. 

“It’s....ah...been a while....ten years is a long time....”

“Jean-Luc?”

“Yes?”

“It’s been ten years for me too, but please don’t make me wait ten more!”

Jean-Luc’s heart soared.  It felt so right, being with Beverly.  They both quickly reached their climaxes.

 “I’m sorry it wasn’t very long....” 

“Nonsense.  Besides, I expect next time to be in an actual bed.....” 

Jean-Luc chuckled.  “So there will be a next time?”

“Oh yes.”

“No running off?” 

Beverly fingered the necklace hanging against Jean-Luc’s chest.  “Jean-Luc?  I don’t want....that is,  I’m not ready to wear this and marry you...but I think that we should...take it slow?  What if the kids don’t get along with each other?  What if we can’t live with each other? What if....”

Jean-Luc silenced her with a kiss.  “Mon Coeur, we will just have to figure it out.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How will the children react?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New territory. Sorry so short.

Jean-Luc stepped out of Beverly’s ready room and immediately noticed his son was no where to be seen, and neither was Evie.  Beverly was right behind him. “Mr La Forge, where has my daughter and Mister Picard gone?”

“Sir, they went with Data to the genetics lab.”

Two voices simultaneously said “ _Merde_ ” and the couple rushed to the turbolift.  “Genetics.” The turbo lift whooshed to life.  Jean-Luc reached out to take Beverly’s hand.

“Mister Data wouldn’t, would he?”

“I don’t know, Jean-Luc.  He’s a very good officer, but he’s still learning about humans.   In fact, despite his outer appearance, he’s only around the same age as Wesley.” 

The doors slid open and Jean-Luc let Beverly take the lead as they both hurried down the hall towards the genetics lab.  They burst into the lab in time to see Evie remove her arm from the scanning sleeve.  All the colour drained from Beverly’s face as she exchanged a glance with Jean-Luc.  If Wesley had already put his arm in the scanner, it would take the computer mere seconds to....

“Genetic Match.  92% probability subjects are siblings who share at least one biological parent.”  The tinny computer voice echoed in the now silent lab.  The children looked between one another and then at their parents. 

“Dad?”

“Mom?”

“Err...Mister Data, please report back to your duty station.”

“Yes, Sir.  Goodbye Wesley, Evie.  Doctor Picard.” Once Data left the room, Beverly reached over and sealed the door. 

“Dad, what’s going on?  Is Evie my sister?” Jean-Luc looked over at Beverly and saw tears running down her face.  He gently pulled her into his arms and turned towards his children. 

“Wesley.  Evie.  We have something we need to tell you.  Wesley....yes.  Evie, you are my daughter.  I know it’s probably a shock for both of you...it’s a shock for me, too. But Evie, I want you to know, that I do love you.  I’m sorry I missed nine years of your life.”

Wesley did the math in his head and glared at his father.  “When Mom? “  Jean-Luc nodded.  “I don’t believe it.  You said you loved Mom.”

“Wesley, I...I loved your mother. She was the mother of my son, of course I loved her.  But Beverly...Captain Howard and I...”  Jean-Luc took a deep breath and decided to tell his son everything.  “Wes... I met Beverly Howard the same day I met Jackie Crusher and I fell head over heels....not for your mother, but for Beverly.  We dated before your mother and I got together and when your mother told me she was pregnant with you, I asked her to marry me.  Wes...you were my entire life.  When your mother died...yes, a part of me died with her, but I had you.  And Beverly...well, I think your sister is a bit young to understand the mechanics of it, but suffice it to say, if I had known we had created Evie, I would have made sure we were in her life.”  Beverly began to sob.

“Oh Evie, my sweet Yvette...please forgive me.  I’m so sorry I kept you from your father and your brother. I...I was scared.”

“So now what?  Is Evie going to call you Dad and do I have to call the Captain Mom?”

“Wes, we haven’t figured that out yet.  I only just found out a half an hour before you two did.  I would like us to be a family, but that will come in time.  Evie, you may call me Dad if you’d like, or you can call me Jean-Luc.”

“Daddy?”

Jean-Luc smiled. “I would love it if you called me Daddy.”  Jean-Luc released his hold on Beverly and knelt down to gather the little girl in his arms.  Tears fell from his eyes as he gave his daughter a hug for the first time. 

Wesley scoffed.  He didn’t know how he felt. Of course, he remembered Captain Howard.  She had been his parent’s friend and he remembered how she had comforted him when his mother died...but this was a lot to take in.  Beverly held out her hand to Wesley and he came over to her and allowed her to stiffly hug him.  “Wesley, you don’t need to call me Mom.  Your mother was my best friend, and I have no intention on replacing her.  But I would like for us to try to be a family.  Will you accept that?  Can you be Evie’s big brother?”  Wesley slowly nodded. “Thank you.”  She held the boy closer. 

“Captain? Dad?  Are you going to get married?”

“Not yet, Wesley.  But we thought we might all try living together in the Captain’s quarters?  Would you be okay with that? I know you said you already unpacked your bedroom...”

“Ah, about that.  Dad...I lied, I just wanted to go have some fun.”

“I, see.  So, what do you think?  Should we all live together?”

“Yeah, I guess so. But you know, it’s not fair.”

“What’s not fair, Wes?”

“Evie gets to have a mom and a dad now...”

“Wes, I can’t bring your mother back.  Is that why you asked if Beverly and I were getting married?”  The boy nodded at his father.  “Oh, Wesley.  Beverly and I don’t need to be married for you to consider her your step-mother.  Is that the problem?  You want to call her mom?”  Wesley slowly nodded again and Beverly tightened her grip. 

“Mom?  I can’t breathe.”

“Sorry, Sweetie.”  She smoothed down his hair. “Hey, you called me Mom.”

“Well...I don’t want to confuse Evie.”  Beverly grinned. 

“You’re just like your father, Wesley.”

“Bridge to Captain Howard!”

“Go ahead, Number One.”

“Captain, you’re going to want to see this....”

“ On my way.”  She turned to her daughter and practically step-son. “I’m sorry, kids. Will you both be alright?”  Evie nodded. 

“Mom, can I take Wesley to the holodeck?”

“Sure. Your father and I will meet you both for dinner in our quarters this evening.  By then, Engineering should have expanded them to accommodate all of us.”

“Come on, Wesley. Have you ever been to the Alps?”

“ Dad’s family vineyard is in France. I could see the mountains, but I was never in them.”

“Dad has a vineyard?  Coool.  Can you show it to me?”  Wesley looked over at his father and Jean-Luc nodded. 

“Program Picard-LaBarre  is unlocked for you to use, Wes.”

“Cool. Thanks Dad! See you later!”  Wesley allowed his little sister to tug him out of the room.

Beverly let out a long sigh. “Well, that went remarkably well.  We really do have good kids.”

“Yes, we do.  I had better get down to Sickbay, wouldn’t want the Captain to have to reprimand me.”  He leaned down and kissed Beverly.  “After the children go to bed tonight, we should probably talk.” Beverly nodded and reached up an unclasped the necklace from around Jean-Luc’s neck and placed it around hers.  She tucked the ring into her jumpsuit.  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at her. 

“Figured I’ll keep it close until I’m ready to wear it.”

“You’re the boss, Captain.”

“Jean-Luc, I want to wear your ring and be married and make us a real family, but I’m scared. And this is new.  Can you...give me time?”

“Of course, my love. “


End file.
